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Drift (material)
}} Drift is a rare chemical compound which incorporates, within its structure, exotic matter. Its properties allow for the formation of directional gravitoelectromagnetic fields, most commonly used in space transportation technology. Drift is usually refined from Riberite crystals, famously discovered on Centrum's second moon, Lysara. The name drift is interchangeably used for its special hadron-carrying atom and the material itself, though the atom has come to be known as drifta. History The first ever recorded deposits of Riberite, the crystalline structure that contains drift, were found on Centrum's moon, Lysara, by exploration crews surveying lava tubes on the maria of its southern hemisphere. The first deposit to be found and mined yielded less than a metric ton of drift. Further Riberite deposits on Lysara have been found but are few in number, and, while richer than their predecessor, they are still incredibly scarce by other minerals' standards. Overview Drift, in its usable form, can be refined from Riberite crystals, which, although extremely rare, are naturally-occurring. One of its constituent atoms, drifta, incorporates exotic hadrons, which gives the material its gavitoelectromagnetic manipulative capacities. Such exotic atoms, due to their non-mainstream composition, are excluded from the Standard Periodic Table. Drifta, like all mainstream elements, can be found in nature, although in non-extractable infinitesimal quantities. Geological surveys in search of drifta have yielded an abundance value of less than 0.02 parts per trillion on Centrum. This value may vary from study to study due to it being at the very limits of sensibilities of the methods and equipment used. Drifta exhibits many properties commonly associated with metalloids. Despite not being classifiable as one, one such similarity is its tendency to form crystalline structures with other metallic elements. The drift compound itself is one such crystalline structure: a combination of primarily iron (Fe) atoms, followed by drifta and a few trace elements. The crystalline form in which drift is most commonly found is Riberite, a dark and lustrous mineral that, at first glance, bears a striking resemblance to hematite, a fact that has given the latter the unceremonious nickname of fool's drift. Riberite is only ever found in deposits, never in veins. Uses Drift is primarily used for space travel, due to its gravity-altering properties. When subjected to an electrical current, the exotic atoms, drifta, invert the gravimetric curvature of space-time to create "bubbles" of matter-repelling properties. This allows for the creation of such drift bubbles, which "drift" along space-time itself, similarly to riding a wave, hence the name of the material. This is made possible by drift-accelerated fusion thermal rockets, colloquially known as drift drives. The exhaust plumes of formerly-coventional fusion rockets are accelerated in the aforementioned manner, allowing for unprecedented levels of thrust and specific impulse. Drift drives, if used over long enough distances, could accelerate spacecraft to significant percentages of lightspeed. Ships equipped with drift drives accelerate continuously for half of the journey, before inverting and decelerating until coming to a rest at the target destination, essentially allowing for an "ideal" journey. However, despite its benefits to human civilization, drift has its drawbacks. Among these is the necessity of enormous quatities of electrical charge that need to be forced through the small quantities of drift within the drive's coils, heating the substance to the point of spontaneous decomposition and rendering it essentially useless. To this end, interplanetary spacecraft must be regularly resupplied with drift to continue using their drift systems.